Bowel obstructions usually cause cramping, abdominal pain, vomiting and inability to pass bowel motions (faeces or poo) or gas. A bowel obstruction is an emergency and needs treatment in hospital to prevent serious complications. You may need surgery or another procedure to remove the blockage.
Enemas of air or fluid can help clear blockages by raising the pressure inside your bowels. A mesh tube called a stent is a safe option for people who are too sick for surgery. Your doctor puts it in your intestine to force the bowel open.
A bowel blockage can stop blood flow, causing part of the intestine to die. As pressure builds up from the blockage, intestinal bacteria can leak into the bloodstream. You may develop peritonitis, an abdominal infection. You are also at risk for a life-threatening system-wide infection called sepsis.
Without any fluids (either as sips, ice chips or intravenously) people with a complete bowel obstruction most often survive a week or two. Sometimes it's only a few days, sometimes as long as three weeks.
Treatment for partial obstruction
Your doctor may recommend a special low-fiber diet that is easier for your partially blocked intestine to process. If the obstruction does not clear on its own, you may need surgery to relieve the obstruction.
When an obstruction is total and caused by a physical blockage, you will likely be unable to pass even gas through your anus. You may burp or vomit, but you will not have diarrhea or gas. Some of the most common reasons we see for bowel obstructions in our practice include: Impacted stool that causes a blockage.
The most common causes of intestinal obstruction in adults are: Intestinal adhesions — bands of fibrous tissue in the abdominal cavity that can form after abdominal or pelvic surgery. Hernias — portions of intestine that protrude into another part of your body. Colon cancer.
These treatments include using liquids or air (enemas) or small mesh tubes (stents) to open up the blockage. Surgery is almost always needed when the intestine is completely blocked or when the blood supply is cut off. You may need a colostomy or an ileostomy after surgery.
The surgeon makes a cut in your belly to see your intestines. Sometimes, the surgery can be done using a laparoscope, which means smaller cuts are used. The surgeon locates the area of your intestine (bowel) that is blocked and unblocks it. Any damaged parts of your bowel will be repaired or removed.
Try making smoothies with yogurt and fruit juice concentrate or low fibre fruit and vegetable choices. Include pureed vegetable soups as they are nutritious and low in fibre because they are diluted with broth. Make a stir-fry with poultry, seafood or meat and low fibre vegetables such as zucchini and bell peppers.
The four cardinal symptoms of bowel obstruction are pain, vomiting, obstipation/absolute constipation, and distention.
A small bowel obstruction caused by adhesions may occur as early as a few weeks and as late as several years after a surgery without any obvious inciting event. An obstruction can cause the material inside the bowel to back up into the stomach. This causes nausea and vomiting of dark green bile (bilious vomiting).
The classic symptoms of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and constipation are rarely present in all cases of SBO. Abdominal pain associated with SBO is often described as crampy and intermittent. Without treatment, the abdominal pain can increase as a result of bowel perforation and ischemia.
Identifying Bowel Obstruction Symptoms
Most people affected by a bowel obstruction are unable to pass gas or have a bowel movement, and may have a swollen abdomen. Infrequent bowel movements or hard stools usually do not indicate obstruction.
Signs or symptoms of gas or gas pains include: Burping. Passing gas. Pain, cramps or a knotted feeling in your abdomen.
Narrow or pellet-like stools: if you have advanced or severe diverticulitis, your large intestine may narrow, causing stool to become thin, narrow, or pellet-shaped.
A serious and life-threatening complication of bowel obstruction is strangulation. Strangulation is more commonly seen in closed-loop obstructions. If the strangulated bowel is not treated promptly, it eventually becomes ischemic, and tissue infarction occurs.
Dietary changes that may help a person who has bowel obstructions include: eating smaller portions more often. avoiding large amounts of high fiber foods, such as whole grain cereals and nuts. focusing on eating soft or liquid meals.
Treating large bowel obstruction
A colonoscopy may be performed as a procedure to straighten a twisted colon or insert a stent to widen a narrowed area.